Terry L. VanderWert, Senior Vice President and General Manager of PRIMA North America, made the announcement saying, "This is the 12th system in 14 years we have installed at Turbo Combustor Technology. It will not only expand their capacity for laser drilling, but also demonstrates a commitment to utilizing the latest laser system technology. As a user of Laserdyne systems since March 1993, Turbo Combustor Technology and Laserdyne have established a mutually beneficial partnership in which we work together to meet the needs of the aerospace industry in manufacturing the next generation of aircraft engines."

"We are especially pleased to have the opportunity to provide this system to Turbo Combustor Technology," stated Mr. VanderWert. "With over 30 years experience providing parts for the aerospace industry, Turbo Combustor Technology personnel understand the requirements for laser processing aerospace parts and are very effective at judging the value of system features. We believe their positive evaluation of our latest 790XL system technology and the CONVERGENT P50L laser, another product of PRIMA North America, is further evidence of the value of our recent developments," stated Mr. VanderWert.

Founded in 1969, Turbo Combustor Technology, Inc. manufactures combustors and complex sheet metal fabrications for virtually all leading aerospace engine manufacturers including General Electric, Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Volvo, Honeywell, Hamilton Sundstrand, the U.S. Government and several more. The company is ISO 9001-2000, AS 9100 Rev B, FAA/JAA 145 Repair station and NADCAP certified. The company has over 350 employees and operates in a modern 110,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Stuart, Florida.

According to Gary Loringer, head of laser processing for Turbo Combustor Technology, the LASERDYNE 790XL system was purchased primarily for overall processing versatility. "The addition of the 790XL system, with its increased intelligence and new features, will help increase our component producability and productivity," reported Loringer.

The 790XL system is a six-axis system with a 2m x 1m x 1m (80 inch x 40 inch x 40 inch) work envelope with a 400 mm diameter high accuracy rotary table and LASERDYNE's latest controller, the S94P. The S94P controller has allowed LASERDYNE engineers to improve and introduce hardware and software features such as Optical Focus Control (OFC) and BreakThrough Detection. OFC complements the 790 BeamDirector's patented Automatic Focus Control (AFC) and BreakThrough Detection has been shown to not only produce parts with a shorter cycle time but with a better flow consistency. This will enhance Turbo Combustor Technology's capability to provide precision drilling of cooling holes in thermal barrier coated turbine engine components.